The present invention relates to electrical connectors for threaded shafts and cables, and in particular to improvements to connectors of the type including first and second connector elements that are movable relative to one another about a hinge axis.
The assignee of the present invention has patented a number of commercially successful electrical connectors. See for example the cable connector disclosed in Cornell U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,068. This connector clamps the cable being terminated by rotating a connector element from a first position, in which two cable-receiving openings are aligned, to a second position, in which the cable-receiving openings are misaligned. The cable clamping device of the Cornell patent provides the particular advantage that the elements of the connector can be assembled in either first or second orientations to clamp two different sizes of cable.
Cornell U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,129, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a multi-cable connector for use with a different type of cable clamping device. The disclosed multi-cable connector includes an elongated cylinder on which various C-shaped elements are mounted for rotation. Each of the C-shaped elements defines a cable-receiving opening that can be selectively aligned or misaligned with a corresponding cable-receiving opening of the cylinder.
Cornell U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,962, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a ground rod connector that receives an unthreaded ground rod between two hinged elements, wherein the ground rod is oriented parallel to the hinge axis.
A need presently exists for an improved electrical connector for connecting one or more cables to a threaded shaft, such as the threaded stud of a typical power transformer.
By way of introduction, the preferred embodiment described below includes a first connector element having a first partial-cylindrical threaded surface, a first hinge element, and a first tail. The illustrated electrical connector includes a second connector element having a second partial-cylindrical threaded surface, a second hinge element, and a second tail. The hinge elements are coupled together at a hinge axis, and the connector elements rotate about the hinge axis to move the threaded surfaces toward and away from one another. The threaded surfaces are oriented to contact and intermesh with opposed sides of a threaded shaft, and a fastener is provided to hold the tails together, thereby clamping the threaded shaft between the threaded surfaces. In the illustrated embodiment the threaded surfaces each extend over a cylinder arc of less than about 140xc2x0.
Additional connector elements may be provided that cooperate with the first connector element to clamp and electrically connect one or more cables to the first connector element.
The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of introduction, and they are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims.